Tool for testing oil wells



June 19, 1956 .1. D. WATzLAvxcK TOOL FOR TESTING OIL WELLS Filed Sept. 8, 1954 c/SfP/f D. WTZLAV/CK INVENTOR.

F/G. Z

United States.I .Patent O 2,751,016 Toor. FoR TESTING foIL WELLS Joseph D. Watzlavick, Bellaire, Tex.

Application .September 8, 1954, Serial No.-454,713

2 Claims. (Cl. 1156-,187') The present invention relates to oil well equipment and provides a tool for taking samples from an area or site within a drilled bore hole for testing the samples for oil, gas, or mineral content.

Presently in use in the oil well industry are many types of sampling devices for obtaining samples of the earth at places deep within bore holes and most of the methods and apparatus used are complicated and costly to operate and install. Some methods include lowering plugs of cementitious material, letting the plugs harden, drilling through the top plug and then with a tool projecting into the space below the top plug, taking a sample of the well contents at the point between the plugs. Other methods include forcing water at high pressures andternperatures through a similar plug arrangement and then recovering the water for analysis.

Present day test sites are chosen from indications on electric logs that suggest favorable sites in the well, and tests are usually made at those sites only, often neglecting other more favorable sites due to misinterpretation or to the spurious and unreliable action of electric logging under certain conditions.

The present invention, briefly described, is a special pipe and tube which may be lowered into the well at any point and may, by repeated simple and effective actions, be raised or lowered in step, taking samples at each site selected and for the entire length of the bore of the well.

As the description proceeds, it will be seen that the principal object of the present invention is to provide a tool which is simple in construction and has few moving parts, and one which takes samples from the well more efficiently and by a new and novel procedure not now in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tool which is controlled by air pressure alone apart from raising and lowering it into the bore.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a tool for taking samples of the free materialsalways found in the Walls of the bores, whether in large quantities or in small quantities, and which when examined chemically and spectroscopically will reveal the oil, gas, and mineral content of the walls of the site of the test.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a tool which will stand rough usage in the field and one which may easily be constructed of materials already at hand in the field, and having no special forms or castings nor requiring special tools to assemble or machine.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be seen more clearly as the description proceeds and when taken in connection with the annexed drawing, in which:

l Figure l is an elevated view of the tool according to the present invention as lowered into a bore hole.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1,

ice

Figure 3 lis a sectional view taken 4on vline 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure'Z, and

kFigure r5 lis a sectional view taken .on line y5--5 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout lthe several views, it will be 4seen that `the Vinvention -consists of ka ycasing or pipe '10 such fas is commonly in use in the oil industry, and it lis fitted 'at its `Ilower -end with .a cap 11, `closing vit and also closing the concentrically arranged tube 12 which vis in lthe -pipe 10 for all of its length. A pair o'f inflatable packings 13 and 14 are secured on the pipe in spaced `apart relation with the pipe -drilled to provide passageways 15 and 16 for air to inflate them. As seen in Figure l, each of these packings 13 and 14 will expand enough to block and seal the bore which is indicated at 17.

At the lower end of the tube 12 are other passageways 18 communicating with the pipe 10 and each has a valve 19 on it of the relief type, that is, it will open under a predetermined degree of pressure to admit air to the tube 12 and thence up the tube to the surface of the ground where it is sifted and passed through suitable filters, not shown here as not part of the invention. Struts 20 support the tube 12 in the pipe 10, as seen in Figure 3.

Above the tube passageways 18 are disposed a series of inlet ports 21 each communicating with the space in the well between the packings 13 and 14, and each port 21 is slanted inwardly and upwardly in the direction of the air flow in the tube 12 so that as air is blasted down the pipe it first inflates each of the pair of packings 13 and 14 before the relief valves open and then as the air rushes upwardly and passes the inner ends of the ports 21, a vacuum is caused in the well space and any liquids in the walls, dust, delodged mineral particles, free gases or other free materials are sucked into the tube and carried upwardly to where they can be caught and examined.

The clamps 22 are dimensioned to have sufficient thickness that when the packings 13 and 14 are deflated, the clamps protect the packings against scuffing and wear as the device is lowered or raised in the bore.

A simple control of the air pressure accomplishes both the inflation of the packings and the removing of the samples, and the tool may be progressively raised to take samples from each foot of the bore hole.

While a single embodiment of the present invention has been here illustrated and described, it is believed that other embodiments may be made and practiced within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the inven'tion.

What is claimed is:

l. A tool for taking samples from an oil Well comprising a pipe having a closed lower end and being adapted and arranged to be lowered into a well to the test site, a pair of inflatable packings surrounding and secured to said pipe adjacent the closed end thereof and in spaced relation to each other, said pipe in the portions complemental to said packings being provided with passageways for air communicating with each of said pair of packings, a tube having a closed end concentrically arranged in said pipe so that its closed end is adjacent the closed end of said pipe and being formed with passageways in the portion adjacent its closed end communicating with said pipe, relief Valves in said tube passageways operable to open at a greater pressure than that needed to inflate said packings into contact with the walls of the well, and an inlet port in the portions of said pipe andtube intermediate said packings extending from said pipe inwardly to said tube and in communication with the space in said well between said packings Whereby when air is pumped through said pipe and through said tube passageways free materials in said space Willbe sucked into said tube for ejecting at a point remote from said test site.

2. A tool for taking samples from an oil Well comprising a pipe having a closed lower end and being adapted and arranged to be lowered into a well to the test site, a pair of inflatable packings surrounding and secured to said pipe adjacent the closed end thereof and in spaced relation to each other, said pipe in the portions comple mental to said packings being provided with passageways for air communicating with each of said pair of packings, a tube having a closed end concentrically arranged in said pipe so that its closed end is adjacent the closed end of said pipe and being formed with passageways in the portion adjacent its closed end communieating with said pipe, relief valves in said passageways communicating with said pipe, relief valves in said tube passageways operable to open at a greater pressure than needed to inflate said pair of packngs into contact with the walls of the well, and a plurality of inlet ports in the portions of said pipe and tube intermediate said packings extending from said pipe inwardly and sloping upwardly to said tube and in communication with the space in said well between said pair of packings whereby when air is pumped through said pipe and through said tube passageways free materials in said space will be sucked into said tube for ejecting at a point remote from said test site.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,439,560 Lee ...p Dec. 19, 1922 1,602,864 Steele Oct. 12, 1926 2,021,997 Hewgley Nov. 26, 1935 

1. A TOOL FOR TAKING SAMPLES FROM AN OIL WELL COMPRISING A PIPE HAVING A CLOSED LOWER END AND BEING ADAPTED AND ARRANGED TO BE LOWERED INTO A WELL TO THE TEST SITE, A PAIR OF INFLATABLE PACKINGS SURROUNDING AND SECURED TO SAID PIPE ADJACENT THE CLOSED END THEREOF AND IN SPACE RELATION TO EACH OTHER, SAID PIPE IN THE PORTIONS COMPLEMENTAL TO SAID PACKINGS BEING PROVIDED WITH PASSSAGEWAYS FOR AIR COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OF SAID PAIR OF PACKINGS, A TUBE HAVING A CLOSED END CONCENTRICALLY ARRANGE IN SAID PIPE SO THAT ITS CLOSED END IS ADJACENT THE CLOSED END OF SAID PIPE AND BEING FORMED WITH PASSAGEWAYS IN THE PORTION ADJACENT ITS CLOSED END COMMUNICATING WITH SAID PIPE, RELIEF VALVES IN SAID TUBE PASSAGEWAYS OPERABLE TO OPEN AT A GREATER PRESSURE THAN THAT NEEDED TO INFLATE SAID PACKINGS INTO CONTACT WITH THE WALLS 